Shooting Tips
Post your tips for shooting good video on this page in the appropriate section. Be sure to put your name in parenthesis at the end of your post so I can give you credit for it... and be sure you don't erase someone else's contribution when you enter your tip! (We'll number our tips to keep them separate!)
Camera Work Tips
1. If you have not used certain options on your camera, be sure to "play" with it before you do your actual shoot. If you do not, it will either not be what you want when you review the tape, or you will waste a lot of time for everyone included in the shoot while they wait for you to figure it out./NLM 2. Know your camera's settings. Even after taking a digital photography class, I still struggle with this one. However, when I do get it right, the quality of the image/video is great. (Terrie Ponder) 3. Learning your camera specs! I got a Sony Handycam that did not work with my desktop, but finally loaded on another computer. I'm still unsure about my camera capibilities, but I believe practice makes perfect. - Lisa Flanagan 4. Learn about you camera. There might be some cool features that you don't know about. (Aldo) 5. Film a litle more than you need, so you have "wiggle room" when it comes to editing. (TSB)
6. Use a tripod when you want steady shots, even if you have a camera with a stabilization feature. (SOR)
7. If your camera is zoomed in when you turn it on and the image is blurry, zoom all the way out so the auto focus can adjust for the correct focus. (Bill M)
8. Don't forget your rule of thirds when framing a camera shot. (Meagan McKinney)
9. If you have a cheap tripod make sure to hit record at least a second before you need to start so that the camera will stop shaking, then you can edit out the shaking. (LAL)
10. Keep your manual for your camera handy, you may need to look up something as you are working on a shot. (jgb)
11. Use a tripod to shoot a more steady shot. (ABR)
12. To get a dolly/ truck shot where the camera moves in or out / or side to side, you can put the camera person in a wheelchair and someone pushes them very slowly on the predetermined track. It is a cheap solution to a great looking shot. (Bill M)
13. Spend a lot of time planning your shot and then spend more time! Framing the shot will help the audience focus on what is important! (Joe Crawford)
14. Make sure all your equipment is charged and/or have a spare battery for your camera (Malena Mitchell) 15. Don't plan on only taking each shot once. Take each shot MANY times, you can then work some editting magic on it later if need be. (LEB) 16. Check your cameras option and learn the options menu, switching from auto to sunlight can greatly improve picture quality! (LEB) 17. Don't skimp on the tripod. Panning with a cheap tripod can be unstable and jerky. (JDJ) 18. Check the space on your camera card before getting set up. (JDJ)
Audio Tips
1. If you have a built in zoom in your camera turn it on. Also check the volume if you are recording audio to be sure it is up high. Both of these are important for long shots if there is any audio./NLM 2. Background noise can wreck your video. Learning how to set your camera's volume to minimize background noise. - Lisa Flanagan
3. I cut off the actor's voice in the beginning of Shoot 3. I found that counting off told him when I was pressing record. He then waited two seconds before speaking. My camera does not have a light that comes on when recording. (LML) 4. If you are shooting in your room or in the hallway the ambient noise can be deafening especially if there is no talking. I have had this happen a lot. (Aldo) . Have your talent say their line clearly without worrying about the shot. You can use the audio on the audio track in Movie Maker. Works great when you don't have to have a shot of talent's face. (TSB)
6. If you are filming outside, make sure you have something to block the wind from the microphone on your camera. This cuts down on ambient noise, and will make it easier to hear your talent. (SOR)
7. Make sure your talent speaks loudly and cleary for it to pick up correctly in the microphone. (Meagan McKinney
8. Speaking clearly is just as important as speaking loud enough for your audience to hear. (jgb)
9. I was speaking out loud what I was thinking during my shoots. I forgot that the camera picked up what I was saying. I corrected that in my next shoot and kept my mouth quiet and only thought in my head. (ABR)
10. When shooting the talent, have them tell the camera their full name and spell their name on camera before the action starts. That way when you make a title with their name for the video you'll know their name and how it is spelled. (Bill M) 11. Using a lapel mic makes all the difference. When I compared my take one with no microphone to my take two with a microphone the sound difference was amazing. (APhyall) 12. If you only have the internal mic on the camera, make sure the camera location for your long shots are still close enough to pick up the audio! (CJM)
13. You can always make your audio louder once you download your clips into iMovie, so there's no need to have the subject talking really loud (Malena Mitchell) 14- Internal mics are not great for picking up audio in a long shot. Either use an external mic or edit in your audio with your editting program. (LEB) 15. Outside shots may work better (if their is no dialogue) to record voice over later. Patrick Jones 16. Alway record a little more than you need on the front and back end. You can edit out, but you can't put stuff in. (JDJ)
Lighting Tips
1. If you have an important scene where you want to see the persons face be sure the sun is not behind your subject. The face will be in a lot of shadow./NLM 2. Having the light source behind you especially a natural light source will permit registration of the clear, true color, however very bright sunlight will saturate the color and wash out some of the vivid quality. (Vlastnik) 3. Make sure you have lots of light. I shot and my floor lamps were on and the color and shot were not as clear because of lower lighting in the room. (Jami O'Connor 4. The angle and the height you have your camera can also effect lighting. I shot people in our cafeteria and it made a difference between a nice clear picture and having your talent with a dark face. (Aldo) 5. If you are using a small camcorder such as a Flip, do plenty of test shots to get the lighting right. I found that the slightest change in lighting had a large impact on the picture quality. (Michael Harris)
6. Make sure to use the correct whit balance on your camera.Not having the correct white balance could make your video to dark or to light. (Meagan McKinney)
7. The weather on outside shots can really affect the lighting. On shoot 3, the sun keep going behind clouds and when I got home and looked at it, the video looked like it had shot on different days. (LAL)
8. I changed locations because the lighting was better in a different location. Do plenty of trial runs to make sure the lighting is just as you want it. (ABR) 9. Nothing beats natural light (APhyall) 10. A combination of overhead lighting and natural light worked for me (Malena Mitchell) 10. Fortunately, my outdoor shoots were done at a time when the sun and clouds were in the perfect location! The location of the light, and shadows from clouds can create havoc! (CJM)
12. Use a light colored building to reflect natural sunlight into your shoot. (LEB)
13. Have the sun at your back when filming outside, otherwise there will be shadows if you are shooting in the sun. (Patrick Jones)
14. Sometimes bright, but slightly overcast days can be your friend. Especially if the tone of your shoot is somber. (JDJ)
Talent Tips
1. Make sure you go over what your expectations are. Be totally clear so there is no misunderstandings. If they do not know what they are expected to do you will have to reshoot, and reshoot and reshoot./NLM 2. Along these lines, be VERY specific in what you want. In camera shoot 1, I asked my talent to walk, but I didn't specify a speed. She ended up walking like she was in a wedding procession. (SEB) 3. If you are recording your talent talking, make sure you select talent that has a voice that carries or you have a microphone that can be plugged into your camera. (Jami O'Connor) 4. Hit the record button and then count your talent down. In some cases tell them to hold the pose instead of just walking off. The hardest thing to edit is when someone stops talking and starts walking off at the same time. That way you have some footage before and after to edit. (Aldo)
5. Be patient, remember that they are helping you out....also working with 3 year olds is hard :) (SOR) (my first video shoot I used a 13 month old so I understand. APhyall)
6. Practice with your talent before you shoot. I had to teach my talent how to do the assignment before he could do it himself. (meagan mckinney)
7. Do not have your talent begin talking too soon into the shot. Start your camera then cue your talent to begin a couple of seconds in. (jgb)
8. Thank your talent. Remember that they are giving up their time to help you with something. They may not do everything perfect but they are giving up their time to help you. (ABR).
9. When using animals, do not expect too much, and go with the flow! Let their natural behavior help create an authentic shoot! (CJM)
10. If you are using students, be nice and have patience because they are not adults or experienced actors. 11. Four year olds do not make the best subjects. Be patient with your talent. (LEB) 12. Have the talent practice before the shoot and go over expectations. (Patrick Jones). 13. If you are filming someone walking (leading room shot), plan how to get out of their way! (JDJ) 14. Allow your talent to be themselves. Video the talent performing the scripted material, then allow the talent to ad-lib. It may seem more natural on film. (LSA)
Other Tips
1. Framing your shots. Look for interesting ways to crop your image in camera. Often suggesting something out of frame by cropping the image or having talent indicate something off screen creates interest and engagement. Also, using one third or one half of the screen of the screen can contribute positively to the visual setup and design of shots.(Vlastnik) 2. When editing in Movie Maker it seems as though your edit point needs to be just beyond where you think you want to stop. Cutting exactly where you want to stop appears to cut the shot just short of the mark.(Vlastnik) 1. If you are videoing shots without any sound/narration make it longer than you think you need. You can always cut the clip short but you cannot extend it./NLM 2. No digital zoom! Sorry if you were suckered into buying a particular camcorder because it touted some astronomical digital-zoom number (240X! 300X! 800X!), you should never use it—unless you like grainy, pixilated video. Digital zoom is actually a big fake: As you increase the zoom level, the camcorder crops further and further into the center of the image, enlarging that cropped portion so it fills the screen. As a result, your video looks, well, awful. Stick with your camcorder's optical zoom (usually you can turn off digital zoom from within the camera's menu system), which relies solely on the lens for magnification. If you need to get closer to your subject, follow the old photographer's maxim: ZOOM WITH YOUR FEET. I have to give Life Hacker credit for this tip but I thought it was so good I had to use it. (Terrie Ponder) 3. Shoot more footage than you need. You may find something in the extra footage that you did not "see" originally that you could use. (Terrie Ponder) 4. This seems like a no-brainer, but make sure your battery is charged before you shoot. When I started Camera Shoot 1, I got as far as recording the five seconds of black before my battery died. Everyone had to wait for a couple of hours before I could finish. Not a problem if you recruit you family. If you are paying someone, time is money (SEB)
5. Be sure you play with your tripod settings and functions, too. A lot of the shakiness in my first three shots came from not having the tripod tensions set to a degree that allowed smooth operation (SEB).
6. I looked at all the shots I wanted to use before I even started recording. I practiced each shot before hitting record and it made a big difference this tim around. (Jami O'Connor) 7. Make sure all unnecessary items are clear from you shot before you start filming. (LML) 8. I was going to put the same thing as LML. I removed several things off my kitchen counter to eliminate the clutter in take 2. (jgb) 9. Practice moving smoothly with your tripod. Every tripod moves differently, so learn how your tripod moves for nice smooth shots. (APhyall) 10. If you are shooting alone, and you are the camera person and talent, film a short clip of all your motions during the shot, so you do not accidentally step out of the frame! (CJM)
11. Review your shots before moving to the next shot or location, just to make sure it is right (Malena Mitchell) 12. Be sure to clear the area before filming, extra "stuff" in the background can be distracting to the viewer. (LEB) 13. Shoot more footage than you need, alternative angles, alternative shots. Take advantage of time in the field. You will be thankful during the editing. Also, the lighting or weather may change and you cannot recreate the same effects. (JDJ)
Post your tips for shooting good video on this page in the appropriate section. Be sure to put your name in parenthesis at the end of your post so I can give you credit for it... and be sure you don't erase someone else's contribution when you enter your tip! (We'll number our tips to keep them separate!)
Camera Work Tips
1. If you have not used certain options on your camera, be sure to "play" with it before you do your actual shoot. If you do not, it will either not be what you want when you review the tape, or you will waste a lot of time for everyone included in the shoot while they wait for you to figure it out./NLM
2. Know your camera's settings. Even after taking a digital photography class, I still struggle with this one. However, when I do get it right, the quality of the image/video is great. (Terrie Ponder)
3. Learning your camera specs! I got a Sony Handycam that did not work with my desktop, but finally loaded on another computer. I'm still unsure about my camera capibilities, but I believe practice makes perfect. - Lisa Flanagan
4. Learn about you camera. There might be some cool features that you don't know about. (Aldo)
5. Film a litle more than you need, so you have "wiggle room" when it comes to editing. (TSB)
6. Use a tripod when you want steady shots, even if you have a camera with a stabilization feature. (SOR)
7. If your camera is zoomed in when you turn it on and the image is blurry, zoom all the way out so the auto focus can adjust for the correct focus. (Bill M)
8. Don't forget your rule of thirds when framing a camera shot. (Meagan McKinney)
9. If you have a cheap tripod make sure to hit record at least a second before you need to start so that the camera will stop shaking, then you can edit out the shaking. (LAL)
10. Keep your manual for your camera handy, you may need to look up something as you are working on a shot. (jgb)
11. Use a tripod to shoot a more steady shot. (ABR)
12. To get a dolly/ truck shot where the camera moves in or out / or side to side, you can put the camera person in a wheelchair and someone pushes them very slowly on the predetermined track. It is a cheap solution to a great looking shot. (Bill M)
13. Spend a lot of time planning your shot and then spend more time! Framing the shot will help the audience focus on what is important! (Joe Crawford)
14. Make sure all your equipment is charged and/or have a spare battery for your camera (Malena Mitchell)
15. Don't plan on only taking each shot once. Take each shot MANY times, you can then work some editting magic on it later if need be. (LEB)
16. Check your cameras option and learn the options menu, switching from auto to sunlight can greatly improve picture quality! (LEB)
17. Don't skimp on the tripod. Panning with a cheap tripod can be unstable and jerky. (JDJ)
18. Check the space on your camera card before getting set up. (JDJ)
Audio Tips
1. If you have a built in zoom in your camera turn it on. Also check the volume if you are recording audio to be sure it is up high. Both of these are important for long shots if there is any audio./NLM
2. Background noise can wreck your video. Learning how to set your camera's volume to minimize background noise. - Lisa Flanagan
3. I cut off the actor's voice in the beginning of Shoot 3. I found that counting off told him when I was pressing record. He then waited two seconds before speaking. My camera does not have a light that comes on when recording. (LML)
4. If you are shooting in your room or in the hallway the ambient noise can be deafening especially if there is no talking. I have had this happen a lot. (Aldo)
. Have your talent say their line clearly without worrying about the shot. You can use the audio on the audio track in Movie Maker. Works great when you don't have to have a shot of talent's face. (TSB)
6. If you are filming outside, make sure you have something to block the wind from the microphone on your camera. This cuts down on ambient noise, and will make it easier to hear your talent. (SOR)
7. Make sure your talent speaks loudly and cleary for it to pick up correctly in the microphone. (Meagan McKinney
8. Speaking clearly is just as important as speaking loud enough for your audience to hear. (jgb)
9. I was speaking out loud what I was thinking during my shoots. I forgot that the camera picked up what I was saying. I corrected that in my next shoot and kept my mouth quiet and only thought in my head. (ABR)
10. When shooting the talent, have them tell the camera their full name and spell their name on camera before the action starts. That way when you make a title with their name for the video you'll know their name and how it is spelled. (Bill M)
11. Using a lapel mic makes all the difference. When I compared my take one with no microphone to my take two with a microphone the sound difference was amazing. (APhyall)
12. If you only have the internal mic on the camera, make sure the camera location for your long shots are still close enough to pick up the audio! (CJM)
13. You can always make your audio louder once you download your clips into iMovie, so there's no need to have the subject talking really loud (Malena Mitchell)
14- Internal mics are not great for picking up audio in a long shot. Either use an external mic or edit in your audio with your editting program. (LEB)
15. Outside shots may work better (if their is no dialogue) to record voice over later. Patrick Jones
16. Alway record a little more than you need on the front and back end. You can edit out, but you can't put stuff in. (JDJ)
Lighting Tips
1. If you have an important scene where you want to see the persons face be sure the sun is not behind your subject. The face will be in a lot of shadow./NLM
2. Having the light source behind you especially a natural light source will permit registration of the clear, true color, however very bright sunlight will saturate the color and wash out some of the vivid quality. (Vlastnik)
3. Make sure you have lots of light. I shot and my floor lamps were on and the color and shot were not as clear because of lower lighting in the room. (Jami O'Connor
4. The angle and the height you have your camera can also effect lighting. I shot people in our cafeteria and it made a difference between a nice clear picture and having your talent with a dark face. (Aldo)
5. If you are using a small camcorder such as a Flip, do plenty of test shots to get the lighting right. I found that the slightest change in lighting had a large impact on the picture quality. (Michael Harris)
6. Make sure to use the correct whit balance on your camera.Not having the correct white balance could make your video to dark or to light. (Meagan McKinney)
7. The weather on outside shots can really affect the lighting. On shoot 3, the sun keep going behind clouds and when I got home and looked at it, the video looked like it had shot on different days. (LAL)
8. I changed locations because the lighting was better in a different location. Do plenty of trial runs to make sure the lighting is just as you want it. (ABR)
9. Nothing beats natural light (APhyall)
10. A combination of overhead lighting and natural light worked for me (Malena Mitchell)
10. Fortunately, my outdoor shoots were done at a time when the sun and clouds were in the perfect location! The location of the light, and shadows from clouds can create havoc! (CJM)
12. Use a light colored building to reflect natural sunlight into your shoot. (LEB)
13. Have the sun at your back when filming outside, otherwise there will be shadows if you are shooting in the sun. (Patrick Jones)
14. Sometimes bright, but slightly overcast days can be your friend. Especially if the tone of your shoot is somber. (JDJ)
Talent Tips
1. Make sure you go over what your expectations are. Be totally clear so there is no misunderstandings. If they do not know what they are expected to do you will have to reshoot, and reshoot and reshoot./NLM
2. Along these lines, be VERY specific in what you want. In camera shoot 1, I asked my talent to walk, but I didn't specify a speed. She ended up walking like she was in a wedding procession. (SEB)
3. If you are recording your talent talking, make sure you select talent that has a voice that carries or you have a microphone that can be plugged into your camera. (Jami O'Connor)
4. Hit the record button and then count your talent down. In some cases tell them to hold the pose instead of just walking off. The hardest thing to edit is when someone stops talking and starts walking off at the same time. That way you have some footage before and after to edit. (Aldo)
5. Be patient, remember that they are helping you out....also working with 3 year olds is hard :) (SOR) (my first video shoot I used a 13 month old so I understand. APhyall)
6. Practice with your talent before you shoot. I had to teach my talent how to do the assignment before he could do it himself. (meagan mckinney)
7. Do not have your talent begin talking too soon into the shot. Start your camera then cue your talent to begin a couple of seconds in. (jgb)
8. Thank your talent. Remember that they are giving up their time to help you with something. They may not do everything perfect but they are giving up their time to help you. (ABR).
9. When using animals, do not expect too much, and go with the flow! Let their natural behavior help create an authentic shoot! (CJM)
10. If you are using students, be nice and have patience because they are not adults or experienced actors.
11. Four year olds do not make the best subjects. Be patient with your talent. (LEB)
12. Have the talent practice before the shoot and go over expectations. (Patrick Jones).
13. If you are filming someone walking (leading room shot), plan how to get out of their way! (JDJ)
14. Allow your talent to be themselves. Video the talent performing the scripted material, then allow the talent to ad-lib. It may seem more natural on film. (LSA)
Other Tips
1. Framing your shots. Look for interesting ways to crop your image in camera. Often suggesting something out of frame by cropping the image or having talent indicate something off screen creates interest and engagement. Also, using one third or one half of the screen of the screen can contribute positively to the visual setup and design of shots.(Vlastnik)
2. When editing in Movie Maker it seems as though your edit point needs to be just beyond where you think you want to stop. Cutting exactly where you want to stop appears to cut the shot just short of the mark.(Vlastnik)
1. If you are videoing shots without any sound/narration make it longer than you think you need. You can always cut the clip short but you cannot extend it./NLM
2. No digital zoom! Sorry if you were suckered into buying a particular camcorder because it touted some astronomical digital-zoom number (240X! 300X! 800X!), you should never use it—unless you like grainy, pixilated video. Digital zoom is actually a big fake: As you increase the zoom level, the camcorder crops further and further into the center of the image, enlarging that cropped portion so it fills the screen. As a result, your video looks, well, awful. Stick with your camcorder's optical zoom (usually you can turn off digital zoom from within the camera's menu system), which relies solely on the lens for magnification. If you need to get closer to your subject, follow the old photographer's maxim: ZOOM WITH YOUR FEET. I have to give Life Hacker credit for this tip but I thought it was so good I had to use it. (Terrie Ponder)
3. Shoot more footage than you need. You may find something in the extra footage that you did not "see" originally that you could use. (Terrie Ponder)
4. This seems like a no-brainer, but make sure your battery is charged before you shoot. When I started Camera Shoot 1, I got as far as recording the five seconds of black before my battery died. Everyone had to wait for a couple of hours before I could finish. Not a problem if you recruit you family. If you are paying someone, time is money (SEB)
5. Be sure you play with your tripod settings and functions, too. A lot of the shakiness in my first three shots came from not having the tripod tensions set to a degree that allowed smooth operation (SEB).
6. I looked at all the shots I wanted to use before I even started recording. I practiced each shot before hitting record and it made a big difference this tim around. (Jami O'Connor)
7. Make sure all unnecessary items are clear from you shot before you start filming. (LML)
8. I was going to put the same thing as LML. I removed several things off my kitchen counter to eliminate the clutter in take 2. (jgb)
9. Practice moving smoothly with your tripod. Every tripod moves differently, so learn how your tripod moves for nice smooth shots. (APhyall)
10. If you are shooting alone, and you are the camera person and talent, film a short clip of all your motions during the shot, so you do not accidentally step out of the frame! (CJM)
11. Review your shots before moving to the next shot or location, just to make sure it is right (Malena Mitchell)
12. Be sure to clear the area before filming, extra "stuff" in the background can be distracting to the viewer. (LEB)
13. Shoot more footage than you need, alternative angles, alternative shots. Take advantage of time in the field. You will be thankful during the editing. Also, the lighting or weather may change and you cannot recreate the same effects. (JDJ)